Although this week's heavy rainfall was welcomed by some Western Cape farmers, others have been hit hard by it. According to Agri Western Cape CEO Jannie Strydom, between 20 and 110 mm were reported across the province on Tuesday. Over the past few days, thunderstorms have brought with them heavy rains and strong winds.
Strydom: “Unfortunately, the heavy rain did some damage in some areas, and seems that the Tankwa Central Karoo and De Doorns were hit the hardest. At this stage, the extent of damage cannot be determined but damage to roads and fences has been reported. Agri Western Cape also realizes that these are not favorable conditions for table grapes, and we hope and trust that their damage will be minimal.”
Ewn.co.za reports that on Wednesday, the weather office warned of severe thunderstorms into the weekend that could result in flooding, with the possibility of hail.
Hortgro statement
On Tuesday, Hortgro issued a statement, explaining that early reports indicate that stone fruit that had to be harvested this week are likely to be lost in totality and in some areas, hail caused havoc on pome fruit farms. Although it has not been possible to determine the extent of the damage yet, some producers indicated that the wind and hail had had an impact on their crops.
On Sunday, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) issued a level five weather alert for hail and thunderstorms. The SAWS warned that damage to infrastructure, settlements, property, vehicles, communication disruption and loss of agricultural production is possible. This situation is likely to continue for the rest of this week (week 50).
Although the severe weather conditions caused damage in some areas, the rain was also welcomed by most.